maskormenace | video | a finer world, part 2

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video | a finer world, part 2

[ Does this guy ever broadcast to the network from ground level?? APPARENTLY NOT because here's Apollo with yet another video message from somewhere dizzyingly high, this time sat on top of a brightly lit neon encrusted building in the heart of Jeopardy. Over his shoulder the sun sets over the desert in a picture perfect background landscape of bright pinks and oranges, but Apollo looks pensive despite the dreamy setting. He's been keeping an eye out for the so-called ghosts, you see, and maybe remembering a few ghosts of his own in the process. ]

An old friend once told me that saving the world is no good if we leave it the way we found it. She said 'saving the day shouldn't be the same as preserving the status quo'. Because what's the point in saving the world if you make no effort to change it? To make it better than it was?

That's why I joined her team, back home. I wanted to save the world and change it for the better. None of us could have done it alone but as a group... [ He trails off, turning a little wistful. ] As a group we were formidable.

But I know most of the teams currently operating here - [ you know who you are ] - are all pretty much Registered-only affairs. And that's fine if you're the Registering type...

[ Apollo's expression turns grim. Or as grim as you can look when surrounded by neon pink signage. ]

Personally? I've got no intention of swearing my loyalty to the government just because they want tame superheroes. But I still want to make a difference and if being a so-called vigilante is what it takes, then... I guess we'll see what happens next.

So consider this an open call. Is there anyone else out there who's Unsettled and wants to do their bit to save the world?

[ And yeah, maybe change it a little bit too. He hopes you're happy, Jenny Sparks. ]

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My team? No, we answered to no-one but ourselves. We stood up against government interests. We were the ones who put the fear of god in to those who thought they were too powerful to be stopped. We proved them wrong.

[ And isn't that just the worst part of this world? The fact that actually, this United States really is in charge - with nanites and tattoos and power nullifying handcuffs and everything. Apollo grimaces, visibly annoyed at what he's been reduced to, before moving on: ]

But there were other teams who were government-aligned, sure. Stormwatch were part of the UN for a while, but now they're funded by the United States. At one point the G7 governments banded together to put their own team of superheroes out there... [ He smiles wanly. ] They didn't like us, you see. They wanted tame superheroes that they could control.

[ And at Darin's question Apollo inclines his head, giving the video feed a solemn look. ]

Maybe it was the right choice a year ago. I suppose you just have to ask yourself what's changed since then?

[Darin listens to this intently and when it comes to that final question, Darin really doesn't have to think much on it.]

...I think I've changed. I think I've changed a lot.

But still...your team. You guys didn't face any resistance to you operating on your own?

Oh, we did. Every damn day. We were outlaws, mostly.

[ He pauses; the last thing Apollo wants to do is paint a picture of the past purely through rose tinted spectacles. That would be undermining just how hard some of it was. It would be a disservice to so much if he didn't admit: ]

It definitely wasn't easy. But still, we stood up for what we believed in because somebody had to.

[ He shrugs contemplatively. ]

And I guess that's what it always comes down to - the question of whether you believe in what you're doing.

That's the thing though. I do believe in what I'm doing. I know I'm helping people. I know that people's lives have been made better because of the work I do.

But even though I'm doing all of this, I'm worried that maybe one day I'll be called upon to do something I don't agree with. I mean, we were all brought here against our wills, for one. And while I can say that I'm actually thankful to be here versus where I came from? I've been seeing more and more how lop-sided the transparency issues are when it comes to us and the government.

But half the world already hates us because of what we can do. Breaking off just feels like it'll make things worse for other imPorts who are just trying to get by. There's so many factors to consider and it's...

...It's frustrating.

All my life I've wanted to do something good with my powers. Now I finally can. But now I'm wondering if I'm doing it all for the sake of the wrong people.

When did helping people become complicated? Why did it have to become complicated?

[ Apollo smiles faintly at that. ]

Because if it was simple and easy then the world would be fine and nobody would need any help, ever.

[ And Apollo would be extremely happy to be out of a job. ]

I can't give you any answers to those questions but I think the fact that you're even asking them is a good thing.

Why do you think breaking off will make things worse for other imPorts?

True that, but I don't think I could be mad if a paradise like that happened to come about.

[Darin feels a little more confident. Having someone praise the fact that he's been thinking on this is making him feel like he might be on the right track to finding his answers.]

I mean, we've got kind of a love-hate relationship with the public. Seeing more of us go rogue? That could easily be spun into a story of how we're out for our own interests. If OTO fires up the ol' propaganda machine, things could get really tough really quick.

I hate to say it, but people will always trust whatever takes the furthest jumps in logic. And what takes fewer jumps? The fact that the government is playing a game of cloak and dagger, or that we super-powered individuals are just choosing to play on our own terms because we can't really be stopped.

[ "Super-powered individuals are just choosing to play on our own terms because we can't really be stopped"? Well, damn, Darin, that's preeeeeeetty much it. Kind of.

Apollo shrugs expressively, throwing his hands up in the air. ]

I'm no PR expert. In fact, I've tried to give as few fucks about what people think of me as possible - especially when it comes to reporting - because that's a battle you're never going to win.

[ That one recent issue of the Nonah Supernova kinda proved that!! ]

At the end of the day, who cares what the world thinks of you? Sometimes saving the world makes you pretty damn unpopular, or so I've learned. And standing up for what you believe in makes you even worse. But as long as the world is still spinning and people have got enough oxygen in their lungs to curse you to hell, then that's a win.

[ So. Yknow. Fuck the propaganda machine. ]

[It hits Darin like a hammer and his expressions shows just as much.]

[When exactly did he start caring about what people thought of him?? He spent his entire life being told he shouldn't even exist; that he was a mistake, that he should never have been born, but that never stopped him from living his life or from doing what he felt was the right thing.]

[In fact, sometimes he would push forward just to spite the nay-sayers.]

[So, when did any of this start to matter? When did he change? When did he lose his nerve?]

[A smile starts to creep onto his face, and he starts to chuckle to (in spite of?) himself.]

Damn. Who ever thought I'd change so much in a year.

...You're right. It really doesn't matter what people think of me as long as I know I'm doing the right thing.

I appreciate you hearing me out, Apollo. And thanks for answering so many questions.

Edited 2019-03-04 19:55 (UTC)

[ WELP Apollo isn't entirely sure if he's broken Darin, fixed Darin, or something in between. He nods faintly, bemused and a little uncertain as to what he's just done... ]

You're welcome. [ He thinks?? ] Honestly, asking questions is just as important as finding answers. I'm always happy to help with both.

I gotta say, it sounds like you've had your fair share of issues with public opinion. Is it the usual 'Super people shoudln't be allowed to decide what's right and wrong?' stuff? Or is it more geared towards how you use your powers?

I suppose there are always elements of both those things, sure... but really it's a matter of celebrity, isn't it? The whole world feels entitled to voicing their opinion on people in the public eye, whether they're superheroes or not. And for every ten people who love you, there's ten more ready to tell you exactly what you're doing wrong.

That's why you've just got to say "screw it" and stick to what you know is right.

I guess that's where I'm stumbling a bit. I'm not used to information being so easily widespread. My world is a few centuries behind this one in terms of technology, so news rarely left the town or the kingdom at large. Here, everyone has some sort of device recording at all times. It's...jarring.

It's a good thing I'm used to putting up a front for the public, otherwise this would get really old, really fast.

Oh?

[ At that Apollo gives his comms device a surprised look; this isn't the first time he's met someone here from centuries past, but it's still a curious thing. ]

Where are you from? Or should I say when?

My world is the rough equivalent of this world's Middle Ages. Knights and kingdoms and all that, except we have magic.

Well, they have magic. I was born without the ability.

So what were you back home? [ He lifts his eyebrows curiously. Consider his involvement with Aegis, Apollo guesses: ] A knight?

[Darin laughs.]

Nah, I'm nowhere near noble enough to be a knight. Besides, with my powers? It wouldn't have been fair to the rest.

I'm just a humble, every day Master Blacksmith. Nothing nearly as glamorous or romantic.

[ Apollo's eyes light up at that.]

Oh, I don't know about that - Master Blacksmith sounds pretty cool to me. What kind of things do you make? Do you make things here as well?

Oh it's the best. Waaaaay better than being a knight. And let me tell you, the list of the things I can't make is a hell of a lot shorter.

I've got my own forge in Nonah; Darin Altway's Masterworks. If there's something you need, I can whip it up in between some of my other engineering endeavors.

I can't think of anything off the top of my head, but... 'engineering endeavors'? [ Apollo lifts his eyebrows curiously. ] That sounds interesting.

It's my way of trying to adjust to the times. No one needs suits of armor or swords anymore. Besides, I like being able to innovate.

I've been working on some special electro-magnetic weights so that I can train, considering my super strength doesn't really allow me to get much proper exercise.

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video | a finer world, part 2

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